We are pleased to share that we will soon launch the tenth cohort of the Healing and Resilience After Trauma (HaRT) Cebu program. HaRT Cebu is a 12-week, trauma-informed, survivor-centered group mental health intervention integrating mindfulness practices and supportive group discussions. Program sessions focus on three themes: felt safety in the body, enhancing self-love, and building healthy relationships. The program helps survivors learn skills to regulate their emotions, manage stress, cultivate resilience, and build a supportive community. Prior research has found that participation is HaRT is associated with statistically significant reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In a recent focus group discussion (FGD) with participants in our 9th cohort, our clients reported that the HaRT Cebu program contributed to their ability to release their emotions in a healthy manner, feel mentally and physically lighter, and achieve relaxation. Participants learned the value of listening to their bodies, respecting the signals their bodies were sending them, and taking care of themselves in a loving manner. One participant spoke about how she learned to take better care of herself:
“I feel that even before HaRT, I didn’t really validate the idea of ‘rest.’ If I wanted to work, I would just keep working. I wouldn’t rest because I felt that if I rested, I wouldn’t be able to get back to work. That’s how I was — I never rested. Then when HaRT came, rest was validated. I learned that rest is necessary because eventually your body will demand it, and you’ll be the one who suffers. That’s how I came to see it. And also, giving value to yourself. If I compare myself to before HaRT, the difference physically is quite big. For example, with child’s pose when I’m tired, I do that pose and imagine myself as a baby resting, sleeping peacefully, not being disturbed. That’s when I realized how much I’ve changed compared to before.”
Sessions focus on enhancing the felt sense of psychological safety, somatic grounding, strengthening emotional self-regulation skills, providing a safe space in which to process experiences, and building support systems. HaRT Cebu participants shared how the thematic focus of the program and engagement in mindfulness exercises helped to enhance their understanding of self-love, care for others, and skills for building supportive peer relationships:
“She (Eleison staff) taught us about the subconscious, self-love, and relating with one another — how to care for yourself and how to care for others. It was like learning how to show love for yourself. It doesn’t mean being selfish and thinking that people should always understand only you. Rather, it is about understanding yourself. One topic was about boundaries. The topics we focused on helped us understand that this was really about building up ourselves—our self-esteem, understanding who we are, and recognizing our value.”
“All of those activities we did became something meaningful. When I see my companions — especially when they are in sad moments and I notice that they need help — I want to help them, encourage them, check on them, and ask how they are doing. Then, after we talk and have conversations, I feel that it is a success because I was able to apply what I learned in HaRT and help other people.”
We are proud of the progress each of our HaRT Cebu participants have made and look forward to continuing to bring this important program to many more survivors.
